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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027334">Andrew</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadcastZero/pseuds/BroadcastZero'>BroadcastZero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Possible Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:28:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadcastZero/pseuds/BroadcastZero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting involved with the wrong people can ruin your life. Andrew learned this the hard way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Breaking Ties</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>    A trail of footsteps was left in the snow in the wake of a young man. Between the woolen cap and the scarf he wore, were two whiskey brown eyes peering through; squinting to avoid the snowfall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The streets that the young man navigated were bustling with folk. He bobbed and weaved through the crowd, trying to get to the bus stop as quickly as he could. He was surprisingly nimble, even with the large hiking backpack on his back. As he reached the bus stop, he leaned against a nearby wall, watching the crowd; most of them were looking down at their phones, their bodies moving on autopilot. His eyes shifted from side to side as if they were analyzing the crowd, searching for something or someone specific. Cars crowded the streets, the sound of a car horn could be heard every couple of seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    It was not long before the bus arrived. The young man waited until the final passenger had disembarked before entering the bus, instantly noticing the heavy smell of sweat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not too late to walk.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The young man thought, only for the doors to close behind him. A quick swipe over the sensor with his card and his trip was paid for. He quickly took hold of one of the poles near an exit. The engines roared and off they were; the young man trying to keep his balance as the bus drove away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Ten minutes later the young man got off the bus and walked over to one of the nearby, apartment buildings. He sped through the lobby, waving to some of the people he had seen other times that he was here. He walked up the flights of stairs to the fifth floor, Quickly making his way to apartment five hundred and seven. Andrew knocked on the door and waited. His foot tapping impatiently.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    After a couple of seconds, he could hear the locks of the door turning before it opened. The head of a young man peered out, his eyes moss green, and his hair blonde and short. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, hey Andrew. What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I… I need to talk with you, Jesse,” Andrew replied, moving the scarf out of the way from his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sure. What about?” The owner of the apartment asked as he opened the door to allow his friend access.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Andrew stepped inside; fidgeting with his gloves. He turned around and faced his friend. “Look… Everything I’m going tell you right now must not leave this room alright? I need your help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Jesse raised his brow. “My help? With what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “First you have to promise me not to tell anyone of what you’re about to hear.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Jesse narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms “All right… I promise. What is going on man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You know about that job I told you about? The security job at the Greenbit office?” Andrew started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “That was a lie,” Andrew said, not daring to look away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Wait… Why did you tell everyone you worked there then? And what were you doing those nights that you said you were working?” Jesse said dumbfounded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Andrew took a deep breath “Okay, long story short. About a year ago was when I said I got the job, yeah? So, I did get a job, if you could even call it that. I met a man named Cormac. He offered me a job with a wage I couldn’t refuse… I pretty much became a trafficker. That is why I was gone those nights. I was moving cargo for them into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, pretty much anywhere they need it to go; everything was going great. Someone snitched, shit hit the van, and I’m in big fucking trouble now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Jesse was silent as he listened, taking a seat on a chair that was nearby; his brow creasing, and mouth twisting. After Andrew was done, he sighed deeply. Another moment passed before he spoke up. “Man, I am sorry, but I’m not going to get involved with this. I don’t know what you want from me, but I cannot help you with this. I got too much on the line and I am not going to risk that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Andrew opened his mouth slowly. “Why… Are you just going to make me deal with this all by myself? You know you’re all I have! And here I thought friends were supposed to help each other!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Excuse me? Yeah, friends help each other with moving to a new house and stuff like that! And if anything, you were the one that lied to me!” Jesse raised his voice. “And you have the nerve to even hint at </span>
  <span>me</span>
  <span> being the bad friend here for not wanting to get involved with gangs?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I didn’t want to worry you with the truth. But now I have no other option! I needed the money badly; I didn't exactly have a choice!” Andrew’s tone matching Jesse’s, his arms crossing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “There is always another option!” Jesse cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Well sorry, mister 'mom-and-dad-pay-for-everything'! If you don’t want to help me, I will find a way myself! I don’t fucking need you anyways!” Andrew snarled before walking past Jesse. He opened the front door and walked into the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Then why are you here? You’ve always walked away from every bad situation in your life, But this? You cannot walk aw—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Those were the last words Andrew heard Jesse say before he slammed shut the door behind him. Andrew stomped off towards the stairs, descending them before rushing through the lobby, ignoring the people there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He walked out into the street, being greeted by the sight of the sun slowly setting. , he walked past the bus stop and continued walking. Turning to an alleyway, out of sight of the people on the street. He stood still there for a moment; his body shaking, before turning to a brick wall and punching it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Why the fuck did I do that?” Andrew groaned. He took hold of his hand and looked at it, blood started emerging from the gashes on his knuckles, dripping down his shaking hand. He stretched out his fingers, made a fist, and stretched them out again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The young man turned and scanned the area, making sure he was not being watched. He threw on his hood and moved back onto the main street. Leaving a trail of footsteps and blood drops in the snow in his wake.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>    The storm had gotten worse. The freezing winds made Andrew shiver; the snow was sticking onto him. He had walked without purpose; he had nowhere to go. He could not go back to his apartment. That would be the first place they would look for him. He could not go to his parents; he had screwed that up years ago already. He had messed up… badly. Tears started dripping down his face, it felt like ice against his skin. He shook his head, and looked up at his surroundings; He was familiar with the area, in his trance, he must have gone to a place he knew. After a moment of thinking his eyes lit up and he quickened his step. Making his way down another block or two until he found himself before a chain-link fence, beyond it he could make out the familiar shape of an abandoned warehouse through the snow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No other place to go…” The young man mumbled to himself before climbing the fence, sinking into the snow as he landed on his feet. Dredging through the snow he made his way over to one of the warehouse walls. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please still be here.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He prayed silently. He moved an empty crate out of the way to reveal a hole in the wall. He threw off his backpack. Sliding it through the hole before crawling through it himself. With about another inch or two to spare while entering, after making his way through he reached back out and slid the crate back into place to the best of his abilities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The warehouse was cold, but it sure was a lot more protected from the elements then outside. The wind howled as it blew around the concrete building. Andrew looked around his surroundings. Looking for something to start a fire with to warm himself up. Empty boxes, crates, and barrels were left in the main hall when this place got abandoned. The young man walked through the building, eventually coming across a small room.  He smiled and quickly gathered wood from broken crates, he brought what he found back to the small room and started a fire with the help of a lighter he had on hand. It did not take long for the small flame to become a good-sized fire, it’s warmth heating up the small room. Andrew leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. The flames warmed his face and body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Andrew quickly undressed, putting out the cold, wet clothes near the fire. The young man turned to his backpack, retrieving a compact sleeping bag, and some dry clothes from it. After dressing himself he gathered some cardboard-boxes and flattened them into a makeshift bed. He laid down onto the makeshift bed; getting into his sleeping bag. He watched the fire. his eyes closing slowly, before drifting to sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This story is based on a writing prompt I searched up to practice my writing. If you have any advice or anything of the sort. Please do let me know. I will strive to continue writing and bettering my skill.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Rat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sound of the postal van’s engine filled the forest as it drove through; the vehicle emitting a bright light into the dark forest ahead. Andrew yawned as he tried to keep his eyes open and on the road. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should have had that coffee</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself, as he stretched and groaned in his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Need a swap?” A female voice came from his right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah… I should be good for another hour,” the young man said as he looked towards the source of the voice. It belonged to a woman about 25 years of age, her unkempt red hair framing a full, white face. Forget-me-not-blue eyes met the young man’s and she shot him a contagious smile. “How about you just save up your energy and then you can drive us back to Detroit once we make the dropoff?” Andrew said as he turned back to face the road.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing. But you’re buying us drinks once we get home!” She replied with a slight giggle. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The young man blinked and suddenly the forest was gone. In its place, a street filled with cop cars; their flashing light blinding Andrew slightly. In the distance he could see the outline of an abandoned gas station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the—” The steering wheel he held onto turned into a cloud of fine dust; his eyes went wide. “What’s going on?” the young man questioned as the rest of his surroundings shifted into an all-encompassing void; his voice trembling. He looked around but there was nothing in sight. He wasn’t even sure whether he was standing on the floor or if he were floating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Andrew!” A distorted yet familiar voice called out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“April! Is that you?” Andrew called out to the void. The only response the void gave was a blinding flash of light. He closed his eyes tight, slowly opening them again so they had time to adjust to the brightness. The silhouette of an old chair was there. Next to it, another silhouette appeared: one of a tall man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Young man. I believe we found our rat!” A gruff voice boomed through the void.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice made his skin crawl. On the chair another silhouette appeared, he couldn’t make out much, except that it was another person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gruff voice boomed once more through the void. “Of course… there is the issue that you could be a rat as well. You are one of the newer people in my organization, after all. So in order to prove yourself to me, and to avoid being killed. I’ll give you the honor.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew felt a new weight in his hand. He looked down and saw an all too familiar weapon. His eyes went wide and he started shaking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No… No, no, no, no! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Young man, send this traitor to their grave, or feed the worms yourself!” The words echoed through his head. The void that surrounded them turned from black to a deep red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt his arm moving without his permission. He tried moving it back down but to no avail. The arm raised up. He felt his finger slowly wrapping around the trigger. Andrew tried to speak in protest but the words didn’t come from his mouth. He felt his finger squeeze.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Click.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Andrew shot up from his slumber; his eyes wide, and body trembling, the sleeping bag in which he lay now damp with sweat. His hasty breathing slowly morphing into sobs as tears started streaming down his face. “Not again.” He cried softly, his voice trembling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small fire he had next to him was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash, the comforting warmth and light it emitted had turned to an uncomfortable cold and darkness. The sobs of the young man echoed through the small room and into the larger warehouse hall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young man looked at his hands through watering eyes. His gaze focused on the hand that was covered with dried, crusted blood. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Murderer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That word haunted his head. He put his hands on his ears trying to silence that voice in his head. It kept becoming louder and louder, repeating it over and over again. “Shut up!” he cried loudly. And then silence fell over him. The only remaining sound he heard was the howling wind outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goddamnit…” He said softly; wiping away the remaining tears. The young man got up from his makeshift bed and walked over to his backpack. He reached in and pulled from it a bottle of scotch whiskey with a note attached to it by a ribbon. He sat back down on his pallet. He took hold of the note, his eyes moving over the paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Happy birthday, you curly-haired dope! I hope you enjoyed your special day, ‘cuz it’s not coming back for another year! I wish you the best of health, wealth, and happiness. And now enough of the sappy shit. Let’s get to drinkin’! -April</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I could change it now… If I could give up my life for yours,  I would do it without hesitation…” He said mournfully as more tears started falling from his face, some of them staining the small note.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened the bottle of scotch, the pungent scent of alcohol rising from the bottle. He took a big gulp, the liquid burning his throat as he swallowed. A sudden jolt of warmth and energy coursing through him, giving him a small moment of comfort and warmth, but that warmth quickly gave way to the cold of the concrete building. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before putting the bottle away he took another swig. He grabbed his bag and opened it once more. He looked inside and there it was… that damn killing device. His shoulders slumped before putting the bottle in the bag. He put the bag beside him, before putting his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he heard the echo of something… Something that came from somewhere else in the warehouse. It was a weird, rhythmic sound. It took a while before Andrew recognized the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are those…?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Footsteps.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've decided that I would rewrite the story. I ultimately wasn't happy with how I had written the chapters. So it'll take a bit before I come back to where we were. I hope you guys agree that the new chapters are better than the previous ones, if not do let me know what you liked more about it! And as always. I would love your feedback and criticism!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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